1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical battery that comprises a plurality of current generating battery cells, examples of which include electrolyte lead-acid batteries, primary batteries, secondary batteries, and fuel cells.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical batteries are used in just about every facet of modern life. The diverse applications of electrical batteries include starting a vehicle, boat or airplane engine; providing emergency lighting; supplying electric power to a vehicle motor; and serving as energy buffer storage for solar-electric energy. Reasons for the widespread use of the electrical batteries are not difficult to identify. For one, such batteries as storage batteries enjoy an excellent reputation for their reliability, sturdiness, portability, and inexpensiveness as sources for direct current voltage. In other instances, such batteries as fuel cells offer viable alternatives to gasoline in midst of growing concerns regarding the global warming and the degradation of the environment.
Electrical batteries in many of these wide-ranging applications typically comprise a plurality of current generating cells contained in a battery case. In turn, each of the current generating cells comprises a plurality of voltage producing elements. Examples of voltage producing elements are positive and negative plates immersed in an electrolytic solution. An electrolyte battery containing these elements generates voltage during its discharge process.
While these multi-cellular batteries have enjoyed immense popularity, the inventor of the present invention has identified several areas of potential improvement to the conventional multi-cellular electrical batteries. One such area of improvement relates to the interconnection of the battery cells that requires certain connecting components, such as top posts or side terminals with corresponding cables or connectors.
Definitionally, multi-cellular batteries are characterized in that each of the battery cells is electrically connected to another battery cell. The intercellular connection may be in series, in parallel, or both in series and parallel. A serial intercellular connection electrically connects one cell of the battery to another cell so that the voltage across all the interconnected cells is the arithmetical sum of the individual cell voltages. A parallel intercellular connection electrically connects one cell of the battery to another cell so that the voltage across the connected cells is substantially the same as the voltage across any one particular cell connected in parallel. Examples of conventional serial interconnections of cells are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,127 to Aronson (hereinafter “the '127 patent”), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Examples of conventional multi-cellular connections in parallel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,522 to Steig (hereinafter “the '522 patent”).
Briefly, the '127 patent shows a conventional lead-acid electrolyte battery with multiple intercellular connections in series. The '127 patent discloses several arrangements for serial interconnection of cells. In one arrangement, attaching bars disposed along the battery floor serially connect an electrolytic cell to adjacent cells. Each of the attaching bars is connected to the plates of one polarity in one cell and the plates of the opposite polarity in the adjacent cell. In another arrangement disclosed in the '127 patent, a metal strap that straddles over a partition wall between two cells serially connects the two adjacent cells. In this arrangement, plates of the same polarity within each cell are connected to a bus bar, and the connecting strap is fixed rigidly to the two bus bars of different polarities in the cells being connected.
The '522 patent shows a conventional storage battery with vertically stacked battery cells that are designed to increase the capacity of the battery. The '522 patent discloses several embodiments that electrically connect the stacked cells. In one arrangement, the upper and lower cells are connected in parallel by laterally extending conductors and vertically extending connectors. Each of the laterally extending conductors is connected to the plates of one polarity and laterally extends to the outside of the cell housing. The vertically extending connectors connect the laterally extending connectors of the upper and lower cells having the same polarity.
As is evident from the above descriptions of the '127 patent and the '522 patent, the conventional intercellular connections—whether in series or in parallel—require rigidly fixed connections utilizing various connecting components. The serial interconnection shown in the '127 patent uses attaching bars along the battery floor or metal straps over the partitions between the cells. The parallel interconnection shown in the '522 patent uses the vertically extending cell connectors outside the cell housing.
There are several drawbacks to the external connectors, for example, straps 96 in the '127 patent. One, such connection arrangements require additional parts, which increases the manufacturing costs of the batteries. Two, various connectors add to the overall weight of the battery and occupy spaces that otherwise would be useful for other purposes. Three, the rigidly fixed attachments between the connectors and the cells inhibit easy insertion and removal of individual cells in the event it is necessary to replace or repair a particular cell.
Another shortcoming of the conventional multi-cellular batteries relates more specifically to electrolyte batteries. In particular, the battery according to an aspect of the present invention addresses the general need for an electrolyte recirculation and gas purging system in electrolyte batteries. That electrolyte batteries require an electrolyte recirculation and gas purging system is well known in the art: The electrochemical reactions during the charge and discharge operations of the electrolyte batteries create several complications, including the problems of the polarization concentration at the electrode surfaces, electrolyte stratification, gas bubble formation on the electrodes, and a build up of electrolyte impurities. If not addressed, these problems would significantly undermine the performance and/or safety of the battery.